COVID-19 RESOURCES

Architects: Rise.

Problem-solving is in your DNA. You build hospitals, community plans, affordable housing – our world – by considering an infinite amount of variables, opinions and interests. Sometimes the project is so large that you collaborate with other firms, navigating complex business relationships to ultimately deliver a better solution. You weather legal threats, natural disasters and financial twists. Now it’s time to apply those skills in a unique and unprecedented way.

The COVID-19 crisis will end. Keep that always in the front of your mind as we roll up our sleeves and get to the work of today.

Like you, we are receiving vast amounts of information that is changing daily. Sorting through and compiling the items that are most useful to you is AIA Mississippi’s priority for the day. Please help us by contributing your ideas and experiences. Email amber@aiamississippi.org. Her wifi works great from the trampoline.

Share what you know NOW

Help us build a resource for Mississippi decision makers as they scout for temporary medical facility locations.

What buildings near you could serve as temporary medical facilities?This is a very quick ask. We’re compiling data from architects to guide decision makers about facilities in Mississippi that could be used as ad hoc medical facilities. The map below is a real-time compilation of sites as they accumulate from submissions.

Please be patient as we “build the plane while flying it.” We are actively developing the app while also collecting the data that populates it. To expedite inclusion of your information, complete the firm data request at this link. You will be able to add your professional headshot at this link as well. Please allow 2-4 business days for your submission to be added.

New & Notable

Our stats indicate that many of you are visiting multiple times so we’ve added this section to make it easy to see what is new. Each time we update, this content will be added to appropriate sections below.

In the past few weeks, the world has reacted in incredible ways to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most architecture firms are working remotely, either at their own decision or at the direction of local authorities. It would be reasonable to assume that most construction projects might be significantly impacted – if they haven’t been already. Architecture firms are undoubtedly facing difficult decisions as they deal with the impact of COVID-19. Often, those decisions will require firms to balance competing interests and obligations without a clear “right” answer. Daunting as it may seem, with mounting uncertainty, a proactive, systematic, and reasoned approach to answering the plethora of questions facing firms will be the best way forward.

This document is intended to be a resource for architects and architecture firms in developing a firm-specific response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides a non-exhaustive list of issues to identify and consider in an effort to help shape firm discussions and decision-making. It is not, however, intended to provide guidance as to how architects and architecture firms should resolve these issues, as those decisions will need to be made in consultation with legal, insurance, and other professionals, and based upon a multitude of factors, to include the firm’s size, location, clientele, project types, project statuses, etc. > Read more

Shared byAIA Risk Management

Major Impacts of the CARES Act on Firm & Employees

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is the third federal legislation meant to address the COVID-19 crisis. It was passed by the Senate on March 25 and is expected to pass the House of Representatives Friday, March 27.

The CARES Act touches on many aspects of the healthcare industry and the overall economy. This memo focuses on the provisions most likely to impact the architecture profession. This is not legal advice; every firm should consult their own counsel for how these policies will impact them specifically. The policies included in the CARES Act build on the first two federal laws passed in response to COVID-19 on March 6 and March 18, 2020. Please see the previous memo from Tim Hawk, FAIA on March 22, 2020 for more detailed information on those bills.

There will likely be additional actions from Congress and the federal agencies to address the health crisis and the economy in the months ahead. A fourth legislative attempt may include infrastructure and other investments. AIA will send additional information as it becomes available. > Read more

Shared byGwen BerlekampAIA National

Architect Standard of Care Relative to Site Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Architecture firms are undoubtedly facing many challenges and decisions as they deal with the impact of COVID-19. Most architecture firms are working remotely, either by their own choice or at the direction of local authorities. However, many construction projects are continuing. Architects and their firms that need to provide contract administration services or other contractual or legal obligations for site visits will need to balance competing interests and obligations.

The AIA is prohibited from giving legal advice. However, we are able to outline the issues for your use in seeking the advice of an appropriate professional. If you believe that you are facing a situation where liability may arise, we urge you to promptly seek advice from legal counsel licensed in your jurisdiction, as well as the advice of your professional liability insurer. > Read more

Shared byAnne Law, Esq.AIA National

If You See Nothing Else

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the “Cares Act”

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a $2 trillion economic rescue plan on Wednesday (March 25) that will offer assistance to tens of millions of American households affected by the coronavirus. Its components include stimulus payments to individuals, expanded unemployment coverage, student loan changes, different retirement account rules and more.

The AIA Advocacy team put together a great overview of the Act. > Start here

Use Your Influence: It Takes Less Than 30 Seconds

and the email has been written for you

As architects, we are committed to protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public. The COVID-19 outbreak and the current health crisis strikes at the very core of our mission. In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, members of Congress are debating additional measures to help those affected by this pandemic and to stimulate the economy.

If you would like to help in this outreach, please take a minute to send a letter to your member of Congress urging them to provide additional resources to those affected by the virus and for our frontline responders. Please ask them to include significant investment for 21st Century infrastructure and to provide temporary relief measures for business owners. > Do your part.

Living Document: If you’re new to the idea, individuals collaborate and build a large document that compiles ideas. As such, you’re going to want to bookmark this one and review it periodically because, like fine wine, it will get better and better with time.

As architects scrambled to adopt policies in a rapidly changing environment due to COVID-19, the team at the Practice of Architecture saw a need to create a living resource to illustrate how firms are responding to keep their practices open, and what we can learn – quickly – from one another as a community.

We are in the process of gathering examples from firms of different sizes to demonstrate various responses in live time to changing operations of architecture firms all over the country. We are particularly focused on case studies that demonstrate communication and policy changes with staff and clients. We will continue to update this document as we receive new information, and will do our best to organize all best practices and templates by firm size.

This living document was started on Monday, March 16 2020 by Practice in Architecture in response to a simple tweet asking firms to share policies that they have already shared with their staff and clients. > Dig in!

Eric White, you and the BSA team are killing it! Best webinar I’ve seen! Who else is wondering how they got the domain architects.org?

Projects & Contracts

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act expands access to emergency paid sick leave to as many as 87 million U.S. workers. Many of these workers currently have no paid leave and are being forced to choose between their paycheck, their health, and the health of the people around them. This is a critical step toward protecting families’ financial security and mitigating the spread of the coronavirus. > Read more

Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program

The SBA will work directly with state Governors to provide targeted, low-interest loans to small businesses and non-profits that have been severely impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing. > Read more

As of 3/20/20, Mississippi is now listed in the COVID-19 Declared Disasters. Other events are listed such as severe weather, tornadoes, blue-green algae, and flooding. Check these other incidents in case you qualify under another declared disaster. Check back for updates. > Read more

OSHA: Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19

This 33 page PDF provides specific information about how Covid-19 could affect the workplace including steps employers can take to reduce workers’ exposure. Now is a good time to familiarize yourself with OSHA since your firm may have never been considered a high risk for injury until now.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) developed this COVID-19 planning guidance based on traditional infection prevention and industrial hygiene practices. It focuses on the need for employers to implement engineering, administrative, and work practice controls and personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as considerations for doing so. This guidance is intended for planning purposes. Employers and workers should use this planning guidance to help identify risk levels in workplace settings and to determine any appropriate control measures to implement. Additional guidance may be needed as COVID-19 outbreak conditions change, including as new information about the virus, its transmission, and impacts, becomes available.> Read more

This 48 minute webinar by Venable Law Firm, LLP helps employers understand how to have conversations with employees without encroaching on their rights. After reading about OSHA above, you’ll want to hear this.

If you or your employees are prone to working even though you don’t feel well, these guys will help you manage it. Does your employee think they “just have a cold” but you’re worried it may be something more serious? You have to be careful how you ask. > Watch it (or listening works too)

Working from home?

Splashtop is an app for remote computer access. We’ve used it for a couple of years now to run Adobe apps that don’t comfortably run on our laptops.

One of our favorite “happy accidents” is that the screen resolution of our desktop transitions well to our laptop and actually offers more usable space than the laptop alone. Grab a more powerful set of readers.

Chatter around AIA is that Zoom is the go-to solution. Others have been mentioned but this one is consistently recommended over others. > Take a look

Office emails killing you?

Slack takes an alternative approach. It allows teams to chat in “channels” so that every member sees all communication about a specific topic (project, issue, subject, etc.) in one place.

AIA Seattle says they’re using it to start channels for membership interest groups. For example, firms of different sizes subscribe to a channel with their colleagues and collaborate.

Execellent idea, Connor Descheemaker! Thanks for sharing!

Coronavirus offers “a blank page for a new beginning”

says Li Edelkoort in Dezeen. “The recent pictures of the air above China showed how two months without production cleared the skies and allowed people to breathe again,” she said, referring to the fact that carbon emissions and pollution from Chinese industry have declined since the virus first hit the country. This means that the virus will show how slowing and shutting down can produce a better environment which will surely be visible on a large scale.”

4 Ways to Work Together When We Can’t Be Together

At ideo.com, Heather Emerson & Simone Stolzoff share ideas about how to maintain a connection with clients when in-person meetings aren’t possible.

“Before the meeting, the team mailed a virtual workshop survival kit, complete with “sleeping bags” for cell phones, mini-whiteboards for people to prototype ideas, and physical takeaways to help the presentation resonate off-screen. Over the course of the meeting, participants excitedly unwrapped items one by one. It was a way for the IDEO team to show up in the room when they couldn’t actually show up in the room.”

The authors and AIA Mississippi assume no liability for the use of this information by AIA members or by others and who agree to use this information at their sole risk. Any other reproduction or use is strictly prohibited. This information is provided as a member service and neither the Authors nor AIA Mississippi are rendering legal, medical or financial advice. Laws vary by state and members should seek professional counsel to evaluate these suggestions and to advise the member on proper risk management.

The Life of Riley

One last comment: as you work through this process, keep the parts of your life near that provide peace, exercise and endless entertainment. > Plenty of fish